CHAPTER 1

THE DANCE

The force of the unseen punch had me staggering backwards and off balance. My foot caught on something and down I went, landing flat on my back in the loose straw. My eyes wanted to close while I was struggling to stay alert. From the barn floor looking up I saw lanterns giving off a warm yellow glow and folks staring down at me.

From the straw covered barn floor where I'd ended up, this Michigan farm boy watched Greg Howard circle with both his hands made into large ham like fists. His handsome face showed anger as he glared down at me. From that look on his face I knew I was in for it.

The crowd at the local barn dance was silent as they watched two friends fighting over Michele; Michele Stevens that lovely flower, so beautiful, shapely and so wonderful. This young lady, with her sweet smell of perfume was often on my mind. Oh how pleasing she was to my senses. She was a warm wonderful woman that I desired and wanted. Let me tell you about her long lovely curls cascading down over her shoulders in waves of glossy brown hair. A charming desirable young woman and was she ever a pleasing sight to behold.

This awesome lady had asked me to dance and I'd accepted knowing it would make Greg unhappy. Gregory was my best friend since the third grade and I liked him a lot. But Michele was something else, she was a mighty line looking lady and the temptation was too much for me to resist. That is if I had wanted to.

What I really wanted was to dance with her and hold her in my arms. I'd spent many a marvelous moments thinking about her. I often dreamed about her walking with me hand in hand through green meadows of grass and flowers. I always hoped, maybe, someday it would happen for us, but Gregory had asked her to the dance first. I was way too shy to invite her to go with me. I thought about it a lot but never did ask her. I hated being so backwards around women.

Greg had brought her to the Grange Hall Dance and I guess I was way out of line while not enough to end up down here. A slow anger burned within me at first. He had sucker punched me; hitting me without any warning and now he stood over me and with a gruff voice he said, "Ron Holden, you stay away from my girl! You hear me?" His tone held no sympathy in it at all. I guess you could say he was more than upset with my actions in the last few moments.

But sucker punching was way out of line between friends. As I started up a stabbing pain exploded in my left side as his big shoe made contact with my ribs and the stabbing, throbbing pain blotted out all else. Now that red-hot temper of mine started to flare up and all I could think about was Greg Howard that was way too much among friends like we were. It doesn't feel all that good when ya make me hurt like this.

Pushing hard on the floor I ended upright, on my feet. My legs did a shaky little dance as I wobbled around a bit. Forcing a weak smile onto my face, while glancing at Michele, she looked concerned, but for who? Gregory seemed so cocksure of himself and was now closing the gap between the two of us. I knew in my heart he would finish me off quickly if I didn't move out of his way.

Circling to my right to stay away from him and his big right fist, the excruciating pain in my ribs got my immediate attention. I was moving to protect my right side and my head. His next shot was a haymaker designed to put me down for the count, like a sharp scythe cutting through tall grass it came my way. I felt that haymaker, as it touched the hair on the top of my head and sailed on by. That my friend was way to close!

With a short shot I hit pay dirt. My target was his small stomach. It was hard, although I heard a breath of air escape his lungs; otherwise it didn't look like it made any difference. His facial expression didn't change that much. With lots of confidence he was strutting like a Banty Rooster, as he stalked me.

The barn dance crowd was gathering around standing in near silence. As I back peddled I noticed Michele in the crowd with her left hand covering her mouth and fear showing in her baby blue eyes. Those pretty eyes that captivated me so. She was so breathtaking it's no wonder Gregory didn't want me near her. I guess I didn't blame him for that.

Gregory's big right hand tried to catch up to me as I danced to my right. There was no sting left in his punch as my left forearm blocked it. While he was recovering from his wild punch, I bounced a right fist off his suddenly flattened nose and blood sprayed all over his clothes and the straw on the barn floor. While he was thinking about that I stung him three more times. First to the side of his face and as he covered up then twice more on his upper arm and shoulder with two good solid shots that I knew had hurt. Then one more for good measure to the stomach as his elbows came up to high. It was a bad mistake at this stage of the game. Thinking to myself, Greg my boy, you better start thinking or I'm going to lay it on you hard and fast. My side still hurt as he gave ground. Putting a big smile on his face Greg said to me, "Is that all you got? It looks to me like you're in a heap of trouble, Ronald." I'd heard him use that kind of psychology on other people; it meant the opposite, it had hurt him.

Stepping in I pressed him, faked a left and my right uppercut found its mark, then this ole hayseed followed that up with a hard left to his eye and a right to his upper left arm. A hard mad look came to his face. Then like a windmill in a wind storm he threw wild punch after punch as he pressed me. Back peddling to stay away from those big fists I covered up and caught several shots on my arms and they hurt. I could feel it down to my fingertips.

He slowed a bit and as I uncovered to retaliate I took a hard punch on the forehead. A red flash went off in my brain and I fell into Mr. Brown's arms and he held me up off the floor and shoved me toward Gregory who tried another roundhouse to my head.

I somehow blocked that hay maker with my left arm and that even hurt. If that punch had connected with its intended target that would have ended this little go round, here and now.

Recovering first I used my hand speed. With my right fist I hit him flush on his left ear. I moved to my right away from that huge right hand. I then pressed him again and I followed that with a long looping left to his right eye and then nailed him square on his left cheek.

Greg could really take a punch, although he was now back peddling and I was closing in. I faked two short lefts then a well-aimed right connected to his head, just back of his temple and I felt it to my spine. While he was still on his feet his eyes closed and he was out cold. When he hit the floor on his back, his head took another jolt, bouncing off the hardwood floor and he lay dead still. This worried me some for we were friends. I didn't like the way it sounded. Gregory could be hurt bad, really bad. "Lord, please watch over him."

As I stood watching, Michele slipped in beside him and cradled his head in her lap. Mr. Stevens, Michele's father brought her a cool wet rag and she washed his face and neck, wiping the blood away. To me it looked like Greg Howard was hurt really bad from that hard whack with the barn floor. A long ten minutes went by and he hadn't moved.

I began to get nervous. Greg's mother had taken Michele's place, on the barn floor, holding his head, and Mrs. Howard began to cry. This was her youngest boy. The favorite of both his ma and pa and you could see her loving touch as she worked on him.

Gregory Howard had other family members here also. He had three older brothers to home and their large family was really close. Their long hard stares sent my way made me feel mighty uncomfortable. At this very moment I felt out of place with so many eyes on me. I noticed that Michele Stevens' beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears. While watching her, the dam broke and tears came streaming down her pretty face and landed on her dress. My heart went out to her as she stood there alone. She caught my eye and came over and stood by me. In a whisper she said, "You had better slip on out of here Ronnie, Greg's three older brothers are here a watching you."

Moving closer to Greg I asked Mrs. Howard, "Can I help in some way?"

Anger came onto her face and harsh words exploded from her mouth, "You young Holden, you get yourself away from me. You did this to my Greg, now get away, you hear me!"

"Ma Howard, I'm sorry. I didn't want to. ..."

"You get before I horsewhip ya!"

Glancing at Greg's three older brothers, a dark storm cloud hung around them. Michele was right it was time for me to leave. Turning I walked by her and said, "Good night Michele." Man-oh-man was she ever a lovely young woman, a real treasure that I wished was mine.

She smiled a slight shy smile and said, "Good night, Ronnie."

It looked to me like the Saturday night barn dance was all over anyway. A couple of church friends said, "Good night, Ronald, see ya tomorrow." I slid through the opening in the barn door and disappeared into the cool spring night air. This hurting kid mounted the pretty gray mare and eased her on out of the yard pushing her toward home. It was a long dark six-mile ride to our home place.

Around midnight I entered our dooryard. Ma had left a coal oil lamp burning in the front window. That mom of mine was a sweet wonderful lady. A little old fashioned, but she had a real love for people. She loved everyone and people that knew her loved her. I was one lucky son-of-a-gun to have the family I had and I knew it. This bushed kid put Molly in the barn, then headed for the house. I must get to bed for tomorrow is Sunday and chores came early. We would rise up early to milk the cows long before the sun peeked over the horizon. We must feed the pigs, horses, calves and chickens, clean the barn, then wash and dress for church. By nine o'clock we were in our light wagon heading for the little church in Sumner, Michigan.

As a town Sumner wasn't much of a much, just another Podunk place in the middle of Michigan, about five miles from our home. Pa had purchased a hundred and sixty acres, in Montcalm County, five years ago, when I was thirteen years old. The home place had good soil, a sandy loam and would it ever grow great crops.

Most of the roads in this area were little more than straight paths through the woods where the surveyors had cut down trees and brush to get a line of sight to survey the land into six hundred forty acre sections. (One square mile) In the wooded areas where they cut down the trees there were still some large stumps in the roadway. In those places we would just drive around them. People were burning the pine stumps to clear the way for wagon traffic.

In the spring of the year the roads were often a quagmire, with mud hub deep in wet places. In Michigan, March is a cool muddy month too early to work the soil and maple syrup season was just about over for this year.

Going to church was a fun time for our family, every Sunday as we moved along the muddy tracks heading for church, our friend and neighbor Mr. Pugsley would wait for us at the Klees School House. Pa and Bill had this little thing they did as they rode east toward Sumner. It was a horse race. Pa used to win it until Mr. Pugsley purchased a good buggy horse last winter. Then the tide had changed. Now Bill had the best of it. His big bay gelding was a runner. He was bigger than Pa's little gray mare, the bay had longer legs and was a really nice looking horse.

Today Pa said, "Let's race all the way to the county line. It was a long mile away and off we went with both wagons bumping and splashing eastward. This was great fun for the whole family and we made it a family affair. Everyone, even my younger brothers, sisters, my mom and dad we all got involved in watching those two runners work. Pa loved to see fine horses run and we had a gay ole time as we rumbled along the road. Those fine horses were neck and neck at the three quarter mile mark. Then Mr. Pugsley slowly pulled away. Dad slapped the reins on Molly's rump and said, "Come on girl."

She worked even harder pulling us and slowly closed the gap. But in the end Bill's big bay held her off. It was close and we talked about how close it was. Our gray mare had real heart and she would kill herself if paw asked it of her. That gray lady just wouldn't call it quits unless dad asked her to. She just didn't know what quit meant. She was a good ole gal and Dad loved her and that gray lady loved him. After the race pa stopped and hugged and petted her, running his hands all over her body. You could see the horse flesh quiver under his strong hands.

In the church yard folks asked, "Well, who won today?" They all knew Sunday morning was a time of enjoyment for us, on our way to church. Mr. Pugsley would say, "Ask Mr. Holden who won and if he won't tell you the truth, I'll tell you it wasn't him." Everyone that stood in the church yard would get a good chuckle. It was a ritual right down to the kidding around, in the church front yard.

Our pastor, Reverend Underwood, was a fine man and the love of God shone on his face as he preached the truth of God's word, every Sunday. God was really blessing our church. This good man came from Eastern Canada to teach us about Jesus and His great love.

Someone said, "Greg Howard hadn't regained consciousness." I wanted to see him but, I knew I should stay away until he woke up. I was still nursing some sore spots of my own which I didn't tell anyone of. Not telling my folks about the fight last night wasn't a good idea as others told and retold about the fight over Michele Stevens. As the story was told, dad kept glancing my way. They told it a wee bit different than I would have. Well, it's too late he'd heard it all by now, anyway.

Sumner was a small settlement on the Pine River. It had a general store, livery stables, hardware store, blacksmith shop and about fifteen houses; it was a small town that serviced this local farming community. Everything was on Main Street. It would one day grow with the lumber business, in Michigan, and then return to a farming community as the trees were harvested and floated down the pine river to the saw mills.

On Sunday the church brought seventy or eighty people into town and many a Sunday we had potluck dinners on the church grounds or in the park. Later we boys would go fishing on the Pine River. Today the suckers bit really well. This was my lucky day. Fifteen large fish were hooked onto my stringer. Except for the forked bones, suckers were good eating. After the four o'clock service we headed for home and the evening chores that awaited us.

Molly was a bit frisky and Dad let her have her head. She knew the way home by heart. Anyone could see that pa loved this gray lady. Dad was a born farmer, a good man with livestock, and a hard worker. It was his life and he loved it.

Tuesday in the evening, I went to visit with Greg. His mother allowed me to see him. He had regained consciousness and was sliding in and out of consciousness. He looked so white it worried me. I stayed for a short time, while receiving the silent treatment from his mother.

A short time after the three older brothers went out to do the chores, I left for home. The cool night air blew a damp mist and it was a miserable night. I slipped through the split rail fence. The rails were newly split and a sliver buried itself into my left hand and it stung like blazes. I tried to extract it in the dark without much success.

I took my folding knife from my pocket, flipped it open and, dug deep with the blade point and finally snaked it out of my palm. Man-oh-man did that ever hurt. I carefully replaced the rails in the fence not allowing them to slide in my hand this time. I didn't need any more slivers stuck in my hands tonight. Through Ted Johnson's pasture was a short cut home. Greg Howard and what happened was on my mind and I prayed again for him. Michele, that sweet little lady, jumped into my mind and stayed for a while.

As the last rail was set in place a bullet hit the top rail and then came the report of a rifle from a good ways off. The split rail had stopped the slug. Hustling to my horse I grabbed leather and quickly made tracks away from there. No need of staying here and let them reload and try it again. Who could have done this? Gregory's brothers came to mind instantly. Those three boys never liked me much and I don't know why.